3/25/2012

Tonight on CSI: Miami (CBS, 10/9c), sure, Horatio digs up a bit of political scandal and Malcolm McDowell puts in an encore as ruthless legal eagle Darren Vogel. But the beating heart of the episode belongs to Calleigh Duquesne, who pulls the trigger on what promises to be a life-changing decision — and one that prompts Delko to go out on a limb himself.

The cool, drizzly weather is most un-Miami-like in Manhattan Beach, Calif ., on the set of CBS’ Sunday crime drama “CSI:
Miami .”
Just before boxes of hot pizza arrive to drive away the chill,
stars Emily Procter and Adam Rodriguez take a break from filming to contemplate the on-again-but-mostly-off-again romance
between their respective characters, CSIs Calleigh Duquesne
and Eric Delko.
Procter, back in fighting trim after having her first child last
season, relates the long will-they-or-won’t-they wait to a similar
situation between two of the characters — Lady Mary and Matthew — on her beloved British period drama “Downton Abbey,”
which airs on PBS’ “Masterpiece .”
“It really bothered me,” she says, “until I saw ‘Downton Abbey,’
and I realized, as a viewer, I loved the carrot on the stick of Mary
and Matthew . You’re watching people who are right for each other and have been through enough, that you know are eventually going to get together, with just a little ‘Eek!’ that they might not .
“With Delko and Calleigh, you know that they still love each
other, you know that they’re going to get together . It’s like dessert .
You’re looking at it, you know that you’re going to get it later, it’s
so good .”
And for those viewers who wonder when it was exactly that
Calleigh and Eric broke up — which apparently took place sometime in the fall of 2010 — Procter says it happened, “when Emily
Procter got pregnant, and she couldn’t go out in the field, when I
didn’t really work for a year . I didn’t know they’d broken up either.
“I actually was in the writers’ office a couple of episodes ago,
and I’m like, ‘Are we broke up?’ But it’s ‘CSI: Miami’ time, and you
don’t know how long it’s been . It’s probably just been a week .”
In the episode airing Sunday, March 25, called “Law & Disorder,” Calleigh makes a life-changing decision that may give her a
second chance with Delko (or at least that’s the tease from CBS).
As to what’s happening with the relationship — nicknamed
“Delquesne,” a mash-up of the characters’ last names — Rodriguez says, “Not enough, in my opinion, as usual . I think we’re
always sort of hinting at it and not taking a big bite . Maybe there’s
a sense of urgency now that the season’s winding down.
“I think there’s some longing to be together on both parts, but
there’s been quite a bit of space . The main problem is that we
just haven’t made the decision to go there and explore it . I don’t
want to speculate on what’s going on off camera . Maybe that’ll
end up being what we end up seeing .”
Both Rodriguez and Procter express concern about whether
the show will get an 11th season, which would mean either
Delquesne gets resolved this season or not at all.
“I find it hard to believe there is any doubt,” says Rodriguez,
“but everything I hear leads me to believe there is an element of
doubt . This is the first time I’ve ever not been 100 percent confident . I feel pretty good, but I wouldn’t bet the farm on it .”
“I would want a real senior year,” Procter says . “I would want
us to know this is our last year . I would want there to be parties .
I would want us to do things together, Bonnie-and-Clyde it up . It
might be a negotiating point for CBS and David (series star David
Caruso) . Let’s hope it’s an artistic choice and not that .”
Of course, this raises the question, could “CSI: Miami” continue without Caruso’s Lt . Horatio Caine?
“I don’t know,” Procter says . “That’s a good question .”